Most urgently, women’s identity must be premised upon our “beauty” so that we will remain vulnerable to outside approval, carrying the vital sensitive organ of self-esteem exposed to the air.
Meaning of the quote
This quote is saying that in our society, women are expected to focus on being "beautiful" in order to receive approval from others. This makes women feel like their self-worth and confidence depend on how they look, instead of who they are as people. The author is arguing that this is a harmful idea that keeps women vulnerable and insecure.
About Naomi Wolf
Naomi Wolf is an American feminist author, journalist, and conspiracy theorist. She became a prominent figure in the third wave of the feminist movement after the publication of her first book, The Beauty Myth, in 1991. In the 1990s, she was a political advisor to the presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton and Al Gore. However, her later work has been criticized for its questionable scholarship, and she has been accused of spreading misinformation on various topics.
More quotes from Naomi Wolf
No matter what a woman’s appearance may be, it will be used to undermine what she is saying and taken to individualize – as her personal problem – observations she makes about the beauty myth in society.
American author and journalist
Pain is real when you get other people to believe in it. If no one believes in it but you, your pain is madness or hysteria.
American author and journalist
Western women have been controlled by ideals and stereotypes as much as by material constraints.
American author and journalist
Most urgently, women’s identity must be premised upon our “beauty” so that we will remain vulnerable to outside approval, carrying the vital sensitive organ of self-esteem exposed to the air.
American author and journalist
‘Beauty’ is a currency system like the gold standard. Like any economy, it is determined by politics, and in the modern age in the West is is the last, best belief system that keeps male dominance intact.
American author and journalist
Women have face-lifts in a society in which women without them appear to vanish from sight.
American author and journalist
To ask women to become unnaturally thin is to ask them to relinquish their sexuality.
American author and journalist